Oct. 2 (UPI) — Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged the now former head of De Moines Public Schools on weapons and immigration offenses.
Ian Andre Roberts, 54, a citizen of the South American nation of Guyana, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday following a short chase in Des Moines, prompting his resignation.
According to the indictment made public Thursday, Roberts was in the country illegally.
The document states that Roberts entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa that expired in 2004.
In 2001 and thrice in 2018, Roberts filed for permanent residency, applications which were all rejected. In 2018 and 2020, he also applied for an adjustment to his status in the country based on his marriage to U.S. citizen Lenisha Roberts but was denied over his failure to respond to a request for additional information.
Starting in December 2019, Roberts had lawful authorization to work in the United States, but not after December 2020.
The document states he was ordered removed from the country on May 22, 2024. In late April of this year, a judge denied his motion to reopen his case.
On Friday morning, ICE officers surveilled Robert’s residence on Saint Andrews Circle in Des Moines. According to the indictment, those officers spotted a man who looked like Roberts in a white Jeep Cherokee, which they followed. The suspect vehicle drove at “a high rate of speed” into a mobile home park, it said.
The ICE agents located the vehicle abandoned and conducted a search for Roberts, who was found about 200 yards south of the Jeep, hiding in brush, according to the indictment.
As search of his vehicle revealed a 9mm Glock wrapped in a towel under the driver’s seat, purchased by his wife in October 2019, as well as his Guyana passport, renewed in April 2024 with a 2029 expiration.
Three additional firearms, including rifle and a 20-gauge shotgun, were discovered in his residence, along with multiple firearm magazines.
Roberts was being held at the Woodbury County jail, but has since been taken into custody by the Justice Department on a federal warrant, the county’s sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Following his arrest, Roberts resigned as superintendent. His lawyer, Alfredo Parrish, announced Roberts’ resignation during a press conference his on Tuesday.
“We want you to know that Dr. Roberts’ greatest concern is about his students who he actually loves and the students who love him back and the staff,” Parrish said.
Des Moines Public Schools said in a statement that Matt Smith, associate superintendent, would fill in as interim superintended until further notice.
“Our priority is to provide a safe, secure and outstanding education for all students and to support our students, families and employees,” the school board said.